Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear alert is 'dangerous' and 'irresponsible', the NATO chief said on Sunday, 27 February, according to AFP.
Earlier, it was reported that Ukraine has agreed to hold talks with Russia at the Belarus border, near the Chernobyl exclusion zone. The decision was made after a phone call between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, reported AFP.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday ordered his defence chiefs to put the country's "deterrence forces" on high alert amid tensions with the West over Ukraine. He also accused Western countries of taking "unfriendly" steps against his country.
The Ukrainian Army managed to retake control of the city of Kharkiv following street fighting with Russian troops, the region's governor said on Sunday.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country has submitted its application against Russia to the International Court of Justice. He also said that he expects the trials to start next week.
He also said that he was ready for peace talks with Russia, but not in Belarus as that was the staging ground for the attack on Ukraine. He said that Ukraine had proposed other locations such as Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest, Istanbul and Baku.
His comments came shortly after reports emerged that a Russian delegation had reached Belarus to hold negotiations with Ukraine.
Earlier, Russian troops had entered the city of Kharkiv, the advisor to Ukraine’s interior minister informed. Meanwhile, Russia has also claimed to have besieged two big cities in south and southeast of Ukraine, reports news agency AFP.
Germany and its Western allies have agreed to cut Russia out of the SWIFT global payment system, a spokesperson for the German government said on Saturday, in a third sanctions package aimed at halting Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the fourth flight to Delhi with 198 Indian nationals from Bucharest has taken off, EAM Dr S Jaishankar said on Sunday.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking political support against Russia at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Department of Defense will provide an additional $350 million in immediate military assistance to Ukraine
Rounds of artillery and intense gunfire have been reported from parts of Kyiv
Russia vetoed a UNSC resolution condemning its attack on Ukraine
Ukraine President has warned that Russia will try to storm Kyiv
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